


Needing Each Other Is Ok

by Alistair_Seacaster



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series), Fantasy High
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Gen, Platonic Cuddling, also it's some Riz/Fabian if you squint, mainly because I like to think Fabian will start calling Riz Little Angel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25276666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alistair_Seacaster/pseuds/Alistair_Seacaster
Summary: They expected to see each other again on Saturday, but not quite like this.
Relationships: The Bad Kids & The Bad Kids (Dimension 20)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 96





	Needing Each Other Is Ok

The Bad Kid's first week back home after the nightmare quest was rather uneventful compared to everything else that has ever happened in their high school career. They got an amazing grade, as well as extra credit for reviving a lost god. They would all almost certainly pass with flying colors. 

There always had to be a snag though. After the first couple days of dead sleep most of them got, it got much harder to fall asleep, and even harder to stay asleep. Sometimes they found themselves wanting to curl up in the Hangvan with everyone else. No one talked about it once their Friday meet up at Basar's rolled it's way around.

They still split after Basar's, after all admitting they didn't have weekend plans. That wasn't new after their adventures. No one knew if they didn't make them because they were so caught up in the moment, or if they didn't plan on making it to the weekend. They didn't dare to look into it. 

The girls walked their way to their bus stop, Fabian skid off on the Hangman after they all denied letting him zoom them home one by one (it reminded Fig and Kristen too much of the race to escape the nightmare forest). Riz and Gorgug also left via Hangvan, Gorgug didn't bother asking the girls if they wanted a ride after they waved off Fabian. They all wished they could just stay together, but no one asked.

They expected to see each other again on Saturday, but not quite like this. No one said that though. 

Adaine should've been surprised to find Fig in the kitchen making hot chocolate, but when she saw her face she knew they were up at 3am for the same reason. Fig didn't hesitate when she added a second packet of the powdered chocolate, and soon a third when Kristen slipped her way onto the barstool next to Adaine and effortlessly into their conversation. 

Fig chatted as she poured the hot chocolate from the pot into three mugs, "So I have the lyrics all down and a melody on my head, but I just can't get them to sync up, I'm gonna have to ask Fabian or Dad about the Owlbear schedule to see when I can steal Gorgug to help me out, I don't wanna take him away from it or make him do more on a rough practice day,"

"That reminds me I think I need to join a new extra curricular, we all know AV Club won't make it to Junior Year and I was barely active in it anyway, what do you guys think I could do?" Adaine wrapped her hands around the mug, unsure if it or her friends around her were what made her feel warm.

"If AV Club is going down maybe talk to Riz about that, maybe you guys could start like a school paper or something!" Kristen almost immediately brought the mug to her lips before pausing, realizing that was a bad idea and sitting it back down.

"Maybe, I dunno if Riz would have the time though, he has like two jobs already. Full time private eye and part time undercover angel spy," 

"It's Riz, he would jump at any reason to sleep one hour less and have one more cup of coffee," Fig was searching the cabinets for marshmallows, preferably extra large ones.

Before Adaine could say that was definitely a reason why she shouldn't rope him into a new extra curricular, there was noises at a window. Everyone tensed, but it didn't last a second. They placed where it was coming from, and even placed who it was. Kristen hopped over the counter and started another cup of hot chocolate while Fig resumed her search Adaine went to the window. With her dark vision, she saw exactly who they all knew it would be. A freckled goblin fiddling with the window. 

Adaine unlocked it and opened it, "Riz what are you doing?"

"...I thought this was my window," During game night on that first day at Mordred (it felt so long ago, so much had already changed, it was hard to process it wasn't even a month ago), Adaine told Riz that this window would always be unlocked for him since she knew he didn't want to pick the lock on the door if he came by late or just needed to get in for any reason.

"It is your window, Lydia or Ragh must've locked it, I'll make sure to leave a note here about how it's your window," Adaine grabbed and helped Riz in through the window, "Now what are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

Riz started to shake his head but when Adaine saw his eyes, she knew. He knew she knew. He was here for the same reason herself, Kristen, and Fig were all in the kitchen. They didn't say anything, instead they went to the kitchen and there was already a cup of hot chocolate waiting for him. 

When they were half way through their mugs, Riz suddenly looked up and craned his neck to look out a window while his ears twitched, "I think Fabian's coming,"

"Where did you get this Fabian sense? It's really been spot on lately," Fig ate a marshmallow out of the bag she found. 

"...Can you guys really not hear the Hangman? Really listen for it, it's all deep and rumbly," Riz knew his hearing wasn't all that much better than his friends, maybe his constantly heightened and searching state picked the noise out but that wasn't worthy of being a Fabian sense (although maybe ever since he heard the hangman's growl coming for him as he almost faded away in the abyss, he searched for the sound to bring him comfort).

Everyone paused and did strain to listen, Fig was the first to speak up, "I guess I can feel his hellish energy if I look into it, I can hear it a little too," Adaine and Kristen nodded in agreement.

"I'm just always looking into it, so I can hear it before you can," Riz downed the last of his hot chocolate and hopped off the stool to get something with more of a kick, until Kristen grabbed him by the back of his angelic blazer.

"Nuh uh, we have a no coffee after midnight rule," Kristen pulled him back into his seat while he groaned.

While Riz tried to barter for another hot chocolate with a shot of anything caffeinated, there was a knock at the door. Fig went to get it, noting it wasn't Fabian, she could still feel the Hangman tearing down the street a few blocks away. That made her unsurprised when she opened it to find Gorgug, twirling one drumstick around his finger seemingly nervous. 

Fig just smiled at him not, needing an explanation, "Adaine! Can you make Gorgug some hot chocolate?" 

Gorgug let out a breath and stopped twirling as he was let inside, putting his drumstick in his large hoodie pocket as Fig closed the door. When he noticed almost everyone was here already, giving him knowing smiles, he smiled back. He made himself at home in one of the large arm chairs. 

Riz brought Gorgug his hot chocolate when it was done, he was planning on perching on top of the chair. Though that's when there was another knock on the door, followed by more knocking, and a quick buzz of the old doorbell, the impatient actions would've given Fabian away if he wasn't the last member of the party to arrive. So Riz went and got the door before he would mash the doorbell and wake up everyone that remained asleep upstairs. 

Fabian was indeed reaching for the doorbell again when the door opened, although he recoiled some in surprise at Riz being at the door, "...Little Angel, what are you doing here?"

Adaine spoke up as Riz pulled him inside, "He's here the same reason you are, and the same reason we're all awake and here,"

"You have hot chocolate on the counter, it's good," Gorgug sipped his warm sugary drink.

"...I don't like not being able to sleep well alone," Fabian went and grabbed his mug after depositing his sword in the umbrella turned sword holder. Everyone nodded and murmured in agreement. 

"...I hate not really being able to be alone, I...I was so excited for my office and all the possibilities and escaping to it when I wanted to be alone but...I get so scared," Riz clambered up the chair Gorgug was on, Gorgug helped him up and to steady as he comfortably perched on it. 

"To be fair the last and first time you were there properly, you were attacked and kidnapped. And last time we were there we had to fight some...not you. Place doesn't have any happy memories yet," Kristen started cleaning up the kitchen as she spoke, doing something while she spoke about the contorted Not-Riz made it easier.

"What do we do about it?" Fig grumbled some and ate a marshmallow.

"What can we do about it? If we ignore it we won't get a good sleep if we manage to get any," Adaine called Boggy to her and hugged him with one arm, staring into her nearly empty mug.

"...We can just sleep together for now, I mean if we can't fight it might as well give in," Gorgug has pulled his knees up to his chest, drumming on them with his drumsticks.

Everyone paused and faced that option, they all wanted it. Obviously, it's what they wanted. They all came here in the middle of the night when they couldn't sleep, for the comfort of knowing at least some of their party members were close by. 

"...I can go grab blankets?" Even though Fig ended it with the unsureness of a question, she was already opening some secret door that would probably lead to a linens closet in less time than the stairs. 

"I'll go get pillows!" Kristen took the stairs instead, giving Fig a look calling a race, which Fig accepted as she bolted through the passageway.

"...What do we do during the school week?" Adaine joined Fabian on the couch with Boggy. 

"It's not the school week, we can figure that out on Sunday," Gorgug was content with just looking at the now solution, "There's no point worrying over Sunday's sleep when we can get Friday and Saturday's sleep,"

"...you're right Gorgug, and we didn't feel the need to complain about sleep this week so maybe it's only a problem come the weekend," Fabian was at least vaguely hopeful this need of sleeping with his party member's near by would wear off, or wouldn't be a want in the week. 

"Although this week we were recovering from the nightmare forest, if we didn't do that burning thing we would've been even more drained," Adaine squeezed Boggy just a little, "That's why everyone else hasn't been around too much, they're still exhausted. I only see Aelwyn because we share a room now,"

"I haven't slept since the nightmare forest," Riz regretted the words as they came out of his mouth, they saw Fabian and Adaine's eyes widen and while he couldn't see Gorgug's face, he saw the drumming stop and his body tense.

"...Little Angel, if there wasn't many other people here recovering and sleeping, I would yell. But I am getting better at being considerate, so I will not," Fabian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, choosing the best way to make Riz sleep, "You haven't slept in about two weeks, accounting for the week Aguefort reversed for us?"

"I mean I slept during my nightmare trip, so it's more like a week? I've stayed up longer! When Penny got kidnapped it got so bad my mom had to instate the 4 hour minimum rule that summer," Riz tried to steer the conversation into a less I'm-In-Trouble direction.

"If Riz doesn't sleep tonight, all in favor of making Fig cast sleep on him tomorrow say Ball," Gorgug was happy with the chorus of two others joining him in saying Ball, "It's decided, don't even need Kristen and Fig to vote, half the party agrees!"

Riz groaned and curled in a ball on his perch, "I'm fine guys,"

Fig, or well a giant ball of blankets, squeezed through the secret passage she had opened earlier, "Is Riz not taking care of himself?"

"He hasn't slept since the nightmare forest!" Adaine was very quick to inform the ball of blankets, and the mountain of pillows slowly coming down the stairs.

"Oh my Cassandra, Riz!" Fig dropped all the blankets in the middle of the living room floor as Gorgug got up to help Kristen's load so she wouldn't fall down the stairs.

"The fact you guys couldn't tell means I'm fine! If it's bad you'd know," Riz slid down the back of the arm chair into the seat, springing out of it.

"We took a vote and decided if Little Angel doesn't sleep tonight you would cast sleep on him tomorrow, is that ok?" 

"I'll cast sleep on him right now, he'll be passed out where he stands," Fig looked around for her bass to strike those all too calming cords. 

"Not yet Fig, lets set up the sleeping area first," Adaine got up and started smoothing out the blanket pile, putting a few aside for them to use normally.

"I am not a willing creature, I will fight it and I'm good at fighting it," Riz added a hiss for good measure, which turned into a yelp as Fabian came up behind him and lifted him up with his battle sheet and starting to swaddle him, "Hey! Fabian, no swaddling,"

"Well I'm not putting you down little angel, consider yourself grappled," Fabian did stop the swaddling, but kept holding him with the battle sheet loosely wrapped around him. 

Riz slowly stopped wiggling and grumbling in Fabian's arms as the rest of the party created a perfect nest for all of them. 

"Alright, who are good space heaters? I know I am," Fig plopped herself in the middle of the nest.

"Zelda says I'm warm," Gorgug sat down in the blanket and pillow heap. 

Fabian plopped between them with Riz still in his arms, "Not Little Angel, he is like an animated block of ice,"

"I came here for comfort and I'm getting attacked about my body temperature and sleeping habits," Riz tugged the battle sheet around him, hiding within it's elemental fueled warmth.

"It's cause we care about you Riz," Kristen put on some movie as everyone positioned themselves in the pile. She got a smirk as she just made herself fall into it, Gorgug scrambling to catch her so she wouldn't crash into Fig and Adaine and when he did everyone erupted into laughs and giggles. 

There was a little bickering about who got to sleep next to who and how they would lay, as well as a hissing match between Riz and Fabian as Fabian took the battle sheet back to spread across everyone. In the end Gorgug ended up in the middle, Fabian using his shoulder as a pillow as Riz used Fabian as a pillow (no one could tell if it was Fabian or Riz who initiated that, but if it got Riz to sit still they didn't care). On the other side Adaine was laying halfway across Gorgug's stomach with her legs sprawled onto Fig and Kristen's laps while Fig was slightly curling into Kristen. Boggy hopped around to whoever seemed to need him. 

The first yawn came from Gorgug as soon as they were all settled, and almost seconds later a soft snore came from him. The rest of them talked in small whispers and stifled laughs for a few minutes as Kristen's words fell into mumbles, and soon into nothing as she slept and Fig seemed to follow suit almost immediately. 

Riz noticed Adaine and Fabian seem to have some sort of conversation with just their eyes and some facial expressions. It was obvious there was no message spell as there was no pointing or soft blue glow behind Adaine's eyes. With the noise of the movie in his ears, he couldn't quite focus on what it all meant but at some point it stopped and Adaine seemed to settle into trance as her breathing synced with Gorgug's and Boggy snuggled up to her.

"Just us now Little Angel," Fabian kept his voice low and soft, hoping it was quiet enough to where only Riz could hear.

"Yeah, at least they beat the sun," Riz tugged his blanket around him, letting himself curl up with it.

"Are you tired?" Fabian pulled Riz's hat off his head and tossed it to the side to be in a pile with his blazer.

"I'm always tired Fabian," Riz tried to say it with a playful tone, but the yawn that interrupted it made it seem a little more serious than it is.

"Well I hope you're not tired tomorrow," Fabian wrapped his arms around Riz, almost hugging him like a teddy bear as he yawned too. 

Fabian fell asleep before Riz, even though he did his best not to. He wanted to make sure Riz slept, but he didn't know that him seeing all his friends asleep and safe is what finally pushed him into sleep. 

If Jawbone said he wasn't surprised when he wandered downstairs in the morning, that would be a lie. He certainly stopped in his tracks when he saw the group of kids all laying across each other deep in sleep. After he made a mental note to call the boys' parents, he went and closed the blinds as the sun threatened to shine on them and wake them up. He gave all his girls' a kiss on the forehead as he walked away, and went back to him and Sandra Lynn's room to tell her breakfast may have to wait.


End file.
